help Japan in removing hard-to-filter radioactive tritium from waste water

The US Energy Secretary says his government and US companies could help Japan in removing hard-to-filter radioactive tritium from waste water at the country's crippled nuclear plant.Ernest Moniz spoke to NHK on Saturday in Tokyo, one day after visiting the Fukushima Daiichi plant.Moniz said he was shocked to see the scale of the damage that remains more than 2 and half years after the tsunami disaster and the nuclear accident.He said he also sensed how difficult work at the plant is with workers required to wear full face masks and other protective gear.

In particular, he referred to the issue of processing  radioactive waste water.Tokyo Electric Power Company has been able to remove most of the radioactive materials from the processed water. The one exception is tritium, which emits beta rays with comparatively weaker energy.

Moniz said removal of tritium is a challenge.  

But he stressed that his department and US firms have experience in processing the material when they dealt with nuclear waste water in the past.  

Nov. 3, 2013 - Updated 01:55